Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was conspicuously absent from the funeral proceedings for his father on Sunday, marking a significant moment as senior regime figures and thousands of mourners gathered to pay their respects. While Mojtaba did not appear, his brothers Masoud, Mostafa, and Meysam were all in attendance at the service alongside notable officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and the head of the Revolutionary Guards, Ahmad Vahidi.
The absence of the Supreme Leader has intensified speculation regarding his current condition. These rumors have been exacerbated by reports suggesting he may have been wounded during the same US-Israel air strikes that resulted in his father’s death. Mojtaba has not been seen in public since his appointment to the position in early March.
The late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who governed the Islamic republic from 1989 until his death in February, is currently lying in state at the Grand Mosalla religious complex in Tehran. The funeral service is being led by Jafar Sobhani, a 97-year-old prominent Shia cleric and scholar from the holy city of Qom.
Official funeral events commenced on Friday and are scheduled to take place across both Iran and Iraq throughout the coming week. Iranian authorities say 12-20 million people are expected to attend the ceremonies which they are calling the funeral of the century. Some attendees at the services have voiced their sorrow over the Ayatollah’s passing while also expressing anger directed toward the US and Israel.
